You look at the overgrown grass and say to yourself, "I really need to cut the grass", but you don't because you just don't "feel like doing it."  Then you begin to say negative things to yourself, feeling guilty that you don't do something that you know needs to be done.  When this is repeated over and over about various tasks, you begin to think that something is wrong.  You're not acting like you used to when you just did these tasks.  You find yourself having difficulty sleeping.  You are worried.  In addition, you may find yourself not getting any pleasure out of activities that you used to enjoy and you're thinking is fuzzy and a little confused.  You are irritated and find yourself isolating from people.  Perhaps you feel anxious, and nervous about doing things that you never had problems with before; Like going grocery shopping.  If this describes how life is, you are experiencing symptoms of Major Depression.  

Psychology has come a long way in the last fifty years.  For instance, we have discovered that "depressed people have depressed thoughts."  Seriously, this was a major breakthrough that led to present psychotherapy treatment programs for those with major depression.  The idea is that people who are depressed have depressed thoughts that keep the depression in place.  If people change the way that they think, then they change the way they feel, which changes their behavior.  Depressed thoughts usually consist of negative thoughts about yourself.  Examples would be, "I'm worthless,"  "I'm no good," or "I can't do anything right."  These thoughts lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness and therefore more depression.  Very often the thoughts that people are struggling with are not true and the task of psychotherapy is to help people change the way they think.  

Psychotherapists who utilize this Cognitive Behavioral approach to the treatment of Major Depression help people identify irrational thoughts and help them practice new rational thoughts that help lift their depression.  For instance, the example above:  "I can't do anything right", would be changed to reflect that the truth is, people make choices that are right and they also make choices that don't turn out right. The evidence suggests that you probably could not find someone who does everything wrong!  This is an example of "Black or White thinking."  

There are ten common mental mistakes that people make that can be changed through the course of psychotherapy.  To help identify these mistakes, psychotherapists will ask you to keep a journal of your negative thinking.  In addition, the psychotherapist utilizing this approach will ask you to do "homework assignments" outside of therapy hour.  Research about effective psychotherapy suggests that people who work at changing their behavior outside of the therapy sessions are more likely to have successful outcomes from psychotherapy.  

Another tool that helps people combat major depression is regular aerobic exercise which has been linked to alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and addictions.  Regular exercise like walking, running, biking, and swimming at least four times per week for over 30 minutes has the effect of increasing a person's self-confidence and, in addition, activates the body's "feel good" chemistry.  You should check with your doctor before attempting aerobic activity.  

So you say "yea but I just don't feel like doing anything," and the truth is, that this is just a feeling.  It is surprising how man people respond as thought therir feelings are the reality.   If you do the things that you don't feel like doing, most of th etime you feel better because you don't have to go through feeling guilty and all the self-recriminations that follow.  

Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy is one of the advances made in the treatment of Major Depression, however; the use of antidepressant medicine in conjunction with CBT psychotherapy is the most effective way of alleviating the symptoms.  Together, these treatment methods provide the tools that will help you combat further episodes of depression.

So, instead of watching the grass grow, why don't you come in to see our staff at Beacon Clinic, so we can help you get back to the life you want to live?

Article Written by Dr. Gerald N. Ross, Ed. D.